The thirteen colonies had less commercial leverage within the British Empire than some colonists and British politicians believed. One fear was that losing North America would destroy the seafaring labour pool on which naval superiority depended. The shipping comparison offered here puts Caribbean traffic at five times that of all the North American routes, including Canada. On that reading, the Caribbean supported a much larger part of the maritime system. The appointment of Lord George Germain to direct the war is also interpreted as a sign that ministers gave the thirteen colonies less priority than the colonists expected.
Notable Point · 2:29:28-2:31:08
Why Britain did not see the thirteen colonies as indispensable
Caribbean shipping challenges the argument that losing the thirteen colonies would deprive Britain of the seafarers needed to sustain naval superiority.